Playing with Fire
by lilgenious
Summary: The job of a CSI requires one to be as objective as possible. For Horatio, however, it seems that this objectivity is difficult to do when he is dead set on bringing two young women back home to their families. When the disappearance of a university student sparks life back into another case, Horatio knows he can fulfill the promise he made to yet another grieving mother.
1. Prologue

_**AN:** Playing with Fire _is the prelude of my story _Silent Prison_ which is currently on private on AO3 under my other name. As I was getting sick and tired of making references to the investigation in the disappearance of Jeanne Knowles, I decided it best to write a story detailing the investigation. As _Silent Prison_ is only nearly complete on my LJ writing account, I thought it best to publish this story before I make its subsequent sequel public.

This story is complete but un-betaed which means that I'll be coming here every week to publish the next chapter.

The timeline of this story falls between season three (just when Ryan Wolfe is getting comfortable in the lab) and when Natalia Boa Vista joins Horatio's team. I have chosen to change the site where the forensic lab is in canon, and have chosen to make it a building versus the lab being 'connected' to the police station. There will be some smaller changes that will be seen throughout the story due to plot purposes.

* * *

Prologue

* * *

Jeanne Knowles frowned as she set down her pencil, grabbing for the book that lay in her lap before pushing it aside in favour of another that sat upon the kitchen table in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at the small print of the index, her pinkie finger going down the page as she searched for a specific name that she knew was there. Her green eyes lit up once she found what she was looking for, and soon she was flipping through the pages in search of the areas outlined by that tiny print. She picked up her pencil and tapped it thoughtfully against the table. With her brow knitted in concentration, she skimmed a page until she hit upon the name that interested her, and then quickly wrote down what she needed before continuing on to the next page.

She paused in her work long enough to take a long sip of her orange juice, then returned back to the book that was in her lap. The book was an essay written by Jacques Madaule and was about the Albigensian Crusade, and was in the original French. She had bought the book on a whim during her trip to France during the summer, and had been deeply interested in its contents enough to investigate further. She had decided to specialise in Mediaeval French history since then, and had taken a keen interest in the Crusade that had wiped out the Cathar movement and brought about the infamous Inquisition.

With careful fingers, she gently opened the book and gazed down the table of contents with the eraser of her pencil between her teeth. The book was old; one of the first copies sold in France, and the previous owner had been careless with it to the point that pages had begun to fall out. However, the book was almost sacred to Jeanne and she doubted she would ever get rid of it even if Jean-Léopold decided to get her a newer edition. Still, she couldn't help but wince as her eyes caught sight of light pencil marks in the margins and small stains on some of the pages.

She skimmed a page and smiled. This was exactly what she was looking for. She quickly jotted down a few notes on the piece of paper and continued on. The book provided her a looking window into the past that no English book regarding the same topic ever could.

She turned the piece of paper over and quickly jotted more notes, then stopped and set her pencil down to look over her handiwork. A large binder lay open somewhere under the pile of books and Jeanne impatiently pushed some aside in order to find it. As she searched for her pages of notes, muttering incoherently under her breath as she did so, one of her roommates entered the kitchen with an envelope in her hands. Jeanne recognised the neat handwriting at once and felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach.

"I found this on the mat just now," Elizabeth Burton said softly, pulling a chair out from the table so she could sit in it. She threw the envelope onto the table as though it were about to explode and looked at Jeanne with a worried expression on her face. "I seriously think we should go to the police with this."

It took awhile for Jeanne to find her voice. "No. Going to the police will only make him angry. You know what he'll do to me if I tell the police what he did..." she trailed off, unable to continue what she was going to say.

Elizabeth shook her head. "What he did was wrong, Jeanne! You know that as well as I do, and yet you refuse to go to the police because of what? Because he's sending you threatening letters! The police need to be told..."

"And what will the police do?" Jeanne retorted angrily. "The man is a highly esteemed professor at the university. It's my word against his, and who do you think they will believe? I'll be accused of making everything up."

"The police will investigate. They'll know you are telling the truth when they see the evidence. You said he took pictures and videos..."

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Jeanne screamed out. She felt as though her heart was about to thump out of her chest and found it difficult to breathe as she got to her feet, sending papers and books flying as she did so. She couldn't get the flash of the camera out of her mind; lighting up the room in brief white flashes as she lay exposed and petrified upon a cot. She forced herself to calm down and to forget what happened during those nights _he_ held her captive. It wouldn't be long until she would return to France for the rest of her schooling, and it was this thought that truly calmed her. She would be far away from this man and his threats of harm if she ever told anybody, and she knew that once she was in France that he would never hurt her again.

She quickly collected her things from the table and picked up the books and pieces of paper that had fallen to the floor. She no longer wanted to talk to Elizabeth, even if she did mean well and was right in saying she should go to the police.

"I've got to go... I need to... I need to go to school..." she murmured, more to herself than to anybody else. "I should talk to my coordinator..."

"Jeanne," Elizabeth started, but before she could continue, Jeanne had gone.

* * *

Lieutenant Horatio Caine felt the pangs of another headache shortly before the handsome old fashioned table clock struck twelve. He sighed as he set down his pen and began to massage his temples with his fingers before he gave up on it all together. Touching his head during these bouts of headaches only made the pain worse these days, and for a brief moment he wondered about whether stress was the direct cause of them.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at the mountain of folders before him. If the endless amount of paperwork wasn't the direct cause of the headache, he had no idea what was. Suddenly restless, he stood to his feet and walked over to the large window that overlooked the front of the Institute of Forensic Science building. From here he could watch his staff and some police officers come and go. His eyes followed a petite brunette that appeared from the side of the building, her attention diverted by a thick folder that she was busily leafing through. She paused long enough to shield her eyes and gaze up, her eyes catching sight of him in the window. She smiled and waved at him, quickly putting the thick folder into the black briefcase she had slung over her left arm. He watched her hurry towards the door and the woman disappeared from his sight.

Horatio inwardly groaned and quickly went back to his desk. A visit from the Assistant District Attorney was always wrought with tension. Ever since she had assumed office, Philippa Langley made her presence known in both Horatio's lab and the courtroom. He heard her knock at the door, but like usual was prevented from saying anything when Philippa opened the door herself and walked in.

"I apologise for disturbing you, Horatio," she said as she came further into the room and stood before his desk. Horatio was certain that she was not the least bit sorry for the intrusion but said nothing in response. He sat in his chair and gazed stiffly upon the lawyer who ignored the chair in front of her. "However, there is a problem that I must talk to you about and quickly."

"Oh?" Horatio said at last. He massaged his temples for a moment, urging the headache to disappear before folding his hands together upon the desk. "What is it that troubles you, Counsellor?"

Philippa pursed her lips and pulled out the folder that she had been carrying earlier. Horatio recognised the case file immediately. "It's the Camilla Humphrey case. The DNA evidence collected by one of your CSIs is inadmissible due to issues with continuity of the evidence."

Horatio frowned at her. "What do you mean? There was DNA evidence everywhere at the scene. It wasn't just limited to one area."

"I know that. However, the evidence collected by Ryan Wolfe was thrown out because the defence raised issues with the handling of evidence at your lab." She glared at Horatio for a few moments and continued on. "Have you figured out who was the contributor of the other samples collected at the crime scene?"

Horatio felt a twinge of pain run through his temple, and he quickly raised a hand to rub at the spot. "The DNA analysts are currently extracting the rest of it."

"They are still working on it?" Philippa asked incredulously. "Please tell me you are joking, Horatio. You told me that we had enough DNA evidence to take this guy to court! How am I going to explain to Camilla Humphrey's family that the psychopath that had raped and murdered her is going to be set free because of issues with the forensic investigation?"

"Surely not everything was thrown out by the judge?" Horatio asked feeling suddenly drained. "What about the knife that was tested? Or the DNA that was extracted in the semen discovered throughout the bedroom of the victim."

Philippa finally sank into a chair looking exhausted. "The evidence collected by Calleigh Duquesne is not being called into question. However, the evidence collected by Ryan Wolfe is."

That evidence included the knife, the bed sheets and some bloodstains found on the wall and floor of the bedroom. Horatio's headache seemed to suddenly worsen as this issue became larger than he had originally thought. "My analysts have extracted DNA from the victim's night dress. They are currently being run through the PCR now and will be analysed shortly."

Philippa looked relieved at this. "Alright, I can ask for court proceedings to stop for now until those results come in. I take it that Bernadette Rawlings has been working on this extraction?"

"Miss Rawlings handed in her resignation letter a week ago," said Horatio softly. "She is currently working in Oxford at a lab that specialises in ancient DNA."

For a moment Philippa didn't say anything, but when she did she sounded disappointed. "That's a shame that she chose to pursue Archaeogenetics instead of remaining within the field of forensic science. She was one of the best DNA analysts you've had."

"Yes, but unfortunately Miss Rawlings always wished to pursue her true calling. She is currently doing research on an ancient relative of the modern human, and is trying to determine the genetics to see how related we are..."

"Interesting," Philippa interrupted with her small hand held up as though she could stop his words before they escaped his mouth. "As much as I am interested in listening to your babbling about science, I have another reason for why I am here today."

Horatio eyed her suspiciously, watching as she dug into her briefcase for yet another folder and pulled it out. He felt his heart sink at the sight of it, recognising it at once.

"The Audrey Williams case?"

For several long moments Philippa didn't speak. She set the folder heavily upon Horatio's desk and appeared as though the very action of it drained her completely. For a moment she fought to control her emotions. Horatio watched her closely, alarmed at her reaction.

"What is...?"

"The Audrey Williams case is no longer a priority, Horatio." Philippa didn't look at him, taking sudden interest in her black wool skirt as Horatio felt his mouth open. "I've tried dragging the investigation..."

"What do you mean by 'no longer a priority'?" Horatio interrupted her, looking and feeling furious. "We've been getting closer to solving her disappearance. These types of investigations are not solved overnight, you know!"

"I know very well how long these investigations take!" Philippa bristled at once, her eyes locked on Horatio's with such ferocity that he had to look away. "I've been trying my best to keep this case open, Horatio. However, there is no new evidence that points us in any direction, and even the leads have stopped coming in. I have no choice in the matter, I was given orders to remove it from the priority list until something new comes up."

Horatio didn't give up in pressing the matter. "What about the phone calls made to police?"

"They went nowhere. We were led on a wild goose chase throughout Florida." Philippa fell silent for a moment, studying Horatio with a knowing look in her eyes. "I know you are trying everything you can to bring this woman home, Horatio, but she went missing two years ago and leads became scarce even then."

"I know she is out there somewhere," Horatio said stubbornly. "You may stop investigating but I won't."

Philippa played with a strand of her hair. "I don't want to stop looking for her anymore than you do." She blew out a puff of air in frustration. "I really believe that she met with foul play at the hands of somebody, but until something comes in, I am afraid the case is removed from the priority list."

"That's it then? We are to stop working on that case?" Horatio felt anger rush through him and fought hard to control himself. "We've progressed further in that case in the past two years..."

"Yes, but at what cost?" Philippa asked quietly. "We can't continue on with the searches anymore due to lack of funding, and even public interest has dwindled to barely nothing. We've investigated everything that was provided to us over and over again, but nothing is changed. The last time Audrey Williams used her debit and credit cards was the day before she went missing. She hasn't been seen or heard from since, and we've investigated everything including human trafficking or a tired university student that has had enough. We've got nothing, Horatio, and until that changes this case is closed."

"A case is never closed," said Horatio, his voice not hiding the disdain he suddenly felt for the woman sitting in front of him. "Until we bring it to a close."

"Until we get more evidence that will point to what happened to Audrey Williams, I am afraid that moving forward is quite impossible."

Horatio opened his mouth furiously but was interrupted when Detective Frank Tripp entered the office. He frowned when he caught sight of Philippa, appearing uncertain as he stood within the doorway. Horatio noticed that the detective's usual neat suit appeared crumpled, and the tie that was visible around his neck didn't cover the top button.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything." Frank said gruffly, his gaze still upon Philippa. Horatio was amused to see that the detective didn't bother to hide his animosity towards the attorney. Frank was not the type to forgive and forget the dismissal of a rapist's case due to inconsistencies with a victim's testimony. He was especially not prone to forgetting a callout to the victim's apartment some weeks afterwards when her brutalised body was discovered.

"No, not at all, as a matter of fact I was..."

"Horatio, there is a problem that I believe needs our attention," said Frank as though Philippa had not spoken. "It involves a missing university student by the name of Jeanne Knowles."

"What's...?"

"Miss Knowles roommate came to the police station to deliver these." He held up a thick pile of letters that made Horatio's heart race. "I thought I should bring them directly to you before I bring them around to Trace. I figured you'd be mighty interested with the handwriting and the name that is at the end of each letter."

Horatio quickly donned gloves and walked around his desk where Frank stood. He was happy to see that the detective had protected the evidence with a clear Ziploc bag.

He recognised the handwriting immediately. Wordlessly, he handed the Ziploc bag to Philippa Langley, and waited for her reaction.

"Are you still thinking of shutting the Audrey Williams case, Counsellor?" Horatio asked when he saw the attorney look up with an expression of shock on her face. "If so, I think you should reconsider that decision."

* * *

Jeanne Knowles had spent the day at the school library in an attempt to forget what had happened to her. She couldn't forget the argument she had with her roommate that morning any more than she could forget the terror she felt at the hands of the man that had done so much to her. She shook the images away from her memory and tried to focus on her work, but found that she couldn't even do that.

" _You tell anyone what happened and I'll kill you, understand?"_

" _You must go to the police, Jeanne."_

" _I'll make you disappear like I made so many others before you disappear."_

" _The police will help you!"_

" _Nobody will ever find your body."_

" _You can't allow him to win."_

"Hello, Jeanne."

She stiffened at the voice and felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest. It was as though he had known that she would be in the library that day, and had appeared just as she began to show a moment of weakness. She looked around at her surroundings, catching sight of her fellow schoolmates and some members of the faculty, but that made Jeanne feel worse.

He sat down in the chair beside her and moved to put his hand on her thigh. Jeanne made a wild grab for one of her books and slammed it hard on the table. The man jumped back with a snarl and an uttered oath as students and faculty within earshot looked around at them curiously.

She got to her feet, eyes blazing with hatred and grabbed for her bag before shoving her belongings within it. She grabbed for the last book that lay upon the table, only to have her wrist grabbed before she did so.

"You aren't thinking of doing what I think you are doing?" Her tormentor asked his voice low and threatening. Despite the fact that the attention she had raised with slamming her book upon the table had long faded, he chose to keep his voice at a whisper and she found she had to strain to really catch what he said. "I don't think it wise of you to do so. This isn't the first time I forced a worthless cow like you to be permanently silent."

Jeanne pulled out of his grasp and glared at him with all the hatred she could muster. "I am not going to remain silent about what you did to me. I know the police are going to be quite interested in what I have to say now that I have all the evidence against you."

She saw him shake with anger, but now that she knew that she had to do the right thing, she no longer felt terrified of him.

"You wouldn't..."

"You're nothing more than a coward that is easily intimidated because you know you can't control me," she hissed through clenched teeth. She was well aware of the fact that a young man in the next table over to her was now looking in her direction, but she no longer cared about what others thought of her. She raised her voice so that everyone in her section could hear her. "I can't imagine a more pathetic life than yours."

Without looking at him, Jeanne picked up her book and quickly walked away. She now knew what she had to do, and she felt nothing but relief because of it.


	2. Chapter One

_AN: I have decided that in order to save my sanity that I am going to publish the rest of this story as is. Since publishing the prologue, I have been poking, prodding, rewriting, and generally butchering this story. It got to the point where my 'resident' cheerleader S.F is laughing at me. I promise more frequent updates from now on._

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

Throughout his career as a CSI, Horatio had discovered that he had come to hate the sound of a ringing telephone. This dislike had started years earlier when a phone call meant that he would have to see the worst of human nature. The faces of murder victims came back to him whenever he heard the telephone, and he found that it was difficult to pick up the phone. However, there was another reason for why he hated answering the phone, and it had something to do with speaking to the family of the missing or murdered.

The mother of Audrey Williams made it a habit to call Horatio nearly every month since her daughter had disappeared without a trace two years previous. It was difficult answering her questions, and even more difficult to tell her that there were absolutely no more leads in her daughter's case. Ever since he had worked on Audrey's case, his fear of the telephone had escalated so that now he felt a distinct terror whenever the phone rang.

He had been watching the news when Rachel Williams had called, listening to the reporter give the particulars of Jeanne Knowles disappearance, scowling when the man made reference to the unsolved disappearance of Audrey Williams.

"Lieutenant Caine, I heard that there was another girl... this Jeanne Knowles... that she disappeared from the same university that my daughter attended before... before she..." Mrs. Williams's voice faltered slightly and Horatio knew that she was biting back tears. "Please, I beg of you, tell me if you think this latest girl is related to my daughter's case."

Horatio's mind went immediately to the letters that Jeanne Knowles roommate had brought in and had given to Frank. The familiar letters and the signature upon them made Horatio believe that the two cases were linked, but was it wise to tell the mother of the first victim this information? If he ever was lucky enough to be blessed with children, and one of them were a daughter that went missing in such horrifying circumstances, would he want the truth or a detective's lie?

"Mrs. Williams, I can't discuss the investigation with you." He hesitated for a moment, trying to decide whether he should say anything else. However, Horatio found that he could not say anything at all that could lift up the suffering of this mother.

The silence between them went on for a few minutes until Horatio felt as though he could reach out and touch it. He could hear Rachel Williams on the other end of the line fight back tears, and he felt his heart break for her.

"If this latest girl... if her disappearance is linked to my Audrey, does this mean that my daughter's case will be worked on again?"

"I never stopped working on your daughter's case, Mrs. Williams..."

"I know you never stopped investigating," Mrs. Williams said quietly. "I am talking about the police, the detectives, and your team." Horatio noticed that her voice began to sound angry. "They all gave up on my daughter's case when there wasn't much evidence. She's _out_ there somewhere, Lieutenant, and nobody is willing to find her and bring her back home."

"Mrs. Williams..."

"I know that Audrey's case is related to this girl's disappearance, Horatio." Rachel Williams was choking back sobs, making it difficult to hear her. "I only request that you don't give up and forget about my daughter. She needs to come home. She's been gone for so long... She doesn't..."

Horatio didn't know what to say and was saved from the moment when Calleigh Duquesne poked her head in the room and called out his name.

"Mrs. Williams, I apologise but I have to let you go. If there is any progress in your daughter's case, I will call you personally."

"I am sure you will," she said coldly, hanging up the phone before Horatio had a chance to say anything more.

Calleigh stepped further into Horatio's office, a frown on her face. "I take it that Mrs. Williams got wind of the Jeanne Knowles case?"

Horatio nodded grimly. His attention returned back to the small television that was still upon the news channel, and was repeating the details of the disappearance of the university student.

Calleigh took a deep breath, held onto it for a second, and then released it. "I heard that the roommate brought in letters. Are we certain that they are from the same person?"

Horatio nodded again, standing to his feet and grabbing for his grey crime scene kit. He had bagged and tagged the letters, sending them right away to documents. The results hadn't come back yet, but then again he hadn't expected them to come so quickly. The examiner had been looking at other evidence that had more precedence than a new case. However, Jack had promised that he would get to the letters as soon as he was finished his task, and had placed the bags in the 'priority tray' as Horatio left the room.

Calleigh was silent for a moment, thinking things over for a moment. Then she lowered herself into one of the comfortable armchairs in front of Horatio's desk. He noticed the look she gave him, recognised it for what it meant, and quickly glanced away.

"I know how the Audrey Williams case has affected you," she said so softly that Horatio could hardly hear her. "It is difficult to give up on a case like this, but when it takes control over everything else in your life then you are unable to do your job."

Horatio looked at Calleigh in surprise but didn't say anything right away. Instead he took his seat behind his desk, and then lowered his gaze. "I thought I had the man who did this to Audrey Williams, thought that there was enough evidence to bring about his arrest and conviction, but he got away because it wasn't enough. The evidence showed this individual for who and what he really was, but I underestimated him. As a result I allowed a dangerous rapist and killer to go back into the community."

"No, that's not true and you know it," Calleigh said fiercely, her green eyes flashing in anger. "You didn't allow this man to escape justice. The Judge in the case didn't feel that the evidence was sufficient enough to pursue the case, and as a result forced Philippa to drop it. It had nothing to do with you..."

"Didn't it? If I hadn't been so focused on bringing this guy to justice, I wouldn't have made half the mistakes I did with the investigation. I was guilty of tunnel vision."

Calleigh shook her head and sighed. "We are all guilty of that, Horatio. Sometimes these cases affect us in the worst way and we want to bring the people responsible to justice. We can become obsessive about a specific case because we make it so personal. However, we must overcome that because we lose sight of everything." She stopped for a moment, took a breath and leaned forward in her chair. "Do you remember the Rebecca Larson and Charlotte Gordon cases?"

Horatio looked up in surprise. He remembered both of the cases as though they had happened yesterday. They were amongst the many cases that haunted him, and he could tell by looking in Calleigh's eyes that the murders of these two young girls affected her the same way. He knew that Calleigh had struggled to cope in the aftermath of the case, knew that she thought about it constantly, and had a suspicion that she was an often visitor to the grave of Charlotte Gordon. What had happened during that investigation was definitely not her fault, and he was just about to say so when Calleigh began to speak again.

"There are times when I blame myself entirely for what happened during the investigation of the Rebecca Larson case. Perhaps if I had acted more quickly and saw the evidence for what it really was, then maybe Charlotte Gordon would still be alive," Calleigh said with a slight tremble in her voice. "It took a long time for me to realise that I wasn't the one at fault that the man who did this acted of his own accord."

Horatio was about to say something when Calleigh held her hand up. "What I am trying to say here is that if you continue to take the Williams case as personally as you have been for the last few years, you will lose all focus on everything else and will allow a killer to get away with murder." She gave him a hard look that spoke more volume than words. "Today we have a young woman who is missing. We don't know what happened to her or if her disappearance is related to any other case that is currently open or closed. If you lose perspective in this case, then you will overlook all the evidence and be guilty of tunnel vision of the worst kind."

Horatio blinked at her, finding his voice at last. "I know that these two cases are related to each other. I understand that there is a possibility that the Jeanne Knowles case will lead us down another path, and that the evidence wouldn't support my suspicions at all. However, there are so many similarities between them. What will happen if the evidence falls apart before the investigation is even complete?

"Then we will work twice as hard to bring two monsters to justice for what they did," she said simply. She regarded Horatio with her keen green eyes before standing to her feet. "Regardless of where the evidence takes us, there will be justice for the victim. Even if it leads us in a different direction than we expected."

Horatio sighed softly, looking up at Calleigh as she stepped towards the window to peer down into the street out front. He couldn't understand his sudden weakness but found that he had to talk about it in order to make sense of it. There was a moment of silence that passed between them, only broken by the sound of a crow cawing from somewhere outside.

"When I saw those letters that Jeanne Knowles roommate dropped off, it was almost as if I had gone back in time to Audrey Williams house," he admitted sheepishly. He heard Calleigh breathe in deeply, turning from the window to look at him as she did so. "Then I remembered how cocky the suspect was when we were interrogating him. The smirk on his face when the victim's name was mentioned or when Frank read a few paragraphs of the letters always comes to my mind whenever I think about the case."

"I think that it is wise to forget the Audrey Williams case for right now," Calleigh said firmly. "We need to approach this investigation with fresh eyes. It wouldn't be fair to Jeanne Knowles if we made assumptions before we even began to look at her case. Until we find more evidence that the two women are connected, we will treat the two as separate investigations."

Horatio nodded grimly. He knew that it was best to approach this new case as though there was no connection to another, but it was made difficult when the face of Audrey Williams came to his mind. Yet, in order to do his job as a forensic investigator, it was only right that he approach this latest investigation as objective as possible. It didn't do anyone a service if he were replaced before he could even do his job. He pushed his chair back and stood up, grabbed for his crime scene kit once more and glanced over at Calleigh.

"We are going to the house where the victim lived," she said gently, a small smile upon her lips. "Eric and Ryan are on their way to the university as we speak. Since our victim disappeared from there, Eric decided he couldn't wait on you."

Horatio could tell by Calleigh's voice that this wasn't the complete truth, but decided not to press the issue. He recognised the hard look in her eyes and knew at once what had really happened.

"Philippa didn't think it was wise for you to go to the university right now." Calleigh reached the door before he did and threw it open, allowing him to pass before following into the hallway. "She didn't want a repeat of what happened last time when you saw the _good_ professor."

"We just had words," Horatio said indignantly when he noticed that Calleigh threw him a look of disgust. "I wasn't working _that_ case anyway when I..."

"No, you just thought it was best to make a visit to that man while you were working that Ripper case!" Calleigh hissed as she walked quickly through the double doors of the forensic building and into the bright Miami sun. "I was surprised you got to walk out of Langley's office alive afterwards. If it were possible to spit flames from your eyes, you wouldn't be here."

"Speaking of our dear ADA, where is she?"

"She's gone with Eric and Ryan to the university. Frank is waiting for us at the house."

"I thought he was interrogating the roommate?"

Calleigh pulled out her keys to her hummer and unlocked the door with a press of the button. She motioned Horatio to join her and moved her crime scene kit from the passenger side seat as he opened the door.

"The roommate is a law student that had an important class to attend. She will drop by the station at seven this evening," Calleigh said as she pulled out of the parking lot. She ignored Horatio's look of horror when she raced out into the street, cutting off a driver in a red sports car. She threw a look sideways at him. "Frank wants you there tonight. He said something about the roommate having something important to say..."

"I will tell him that I'll be there," Horatio muttered to himself as Calleigh honked her horn at a blue ford that wasn't moving at a stop sign. "Granted that we arrive at our destination in one piece..."

* * *

The bungalow that Jeanne Knowles had made her home was the typical student rental house. Horatio sensed that while the owner took great care of the property that they had rented it out to students while living as far away from it as possible. The outside of the house was painted a cheerful yellow with white trim and a black roof. The porch went from the door to the end of a large window that looked out into a beautiful front yard that led to the street. From the driveway, Horatio could see a brick walkway that wound its way around the carport to the bungalow's porch.

"This is a beautiful house," Calleigh said cheerfully as she took in the bungalow with an appraising look in her eyes. "Many off-campus rentals for students are complete dumps, but this one is in excellent condition and is in a great neighbourhood."

Horatio nodded his head in agreement. He had been to quite a few 'dumpy' student rentals in the past and found that he greatly despised the people that took advantage of university students that could hardly put food on the table for themselves. He stepped outside the Hummer and paused long enough to take in the front yard. In the centre of the property grew a Blue Hesper palm tree, its base surrounded by white rocks the size of his fist and a few garden gnomes that seemed to protect it.

The carport seemed to be big enough for only one car, but it was packed with bicycles, boxes and trunks that seemed to be filled with everything and anything. He took his eyes off the carport and looked towards the house where Frank stood waiting for them, his arms folded across his chest and wearing a look of deep frustration on his face.

Horatio and Calleigh looked at one another for a moment before walking up the walkway to meet him.

"What took you two so long?" Frank grumbled as he gave both of them a disapproving look. He held up a clear evidence bag with a piece of paper folded within it. "Another letter appeared at the doorstep not too long after I arrived. I had to stop a girl from trampling it as she came back home, and then had to calm her down when she saw that it was addressed to us..."

"What?" Calleigh and Horatio asked at the same time.

"Yeah, it's just as I thought too," said Frank waspishly, holding the letter between his forefinger and thumb as though it was about to attack him. "It's just like the last time. Letters would show up out of the blue describing scenes of horrific abuse with these terrible clues that had to be solved."

"This letter was sent to us at the victim's house," Calleigh said softly as she peered about the property and nearby street. "If these two cases are related to each other, then our good professor is getting a little cocky, isn't he?"

"He always was a cocky son of a bitch," Frank said gruffly. "I suppose that his head is now at threat of exploding now." He turned to Horatio with a rueful expression on his face. "I didn't see the bastard. I was speaking to one of Jeanne Knowles roommates when I heard the other girl return. I had to go and open the door when I noticed the paper."

"We will send the letter to Documents as soon as we are done here." Horatio shielded his eyes against the sun and looked around the porch. "I doubt that whoever was responsible for this drop off would stick around."

"I called Delko at the university. It seems that the _kind_ professor disappeared not long after Jeanne Knowles took off from the library." Frank peered over his shoulder as the door behind him opened, revealing a pretty redhead that regarded them all with terrified green eyes. He returned back to Horatio and lowered his voice. "I have a few uniforms waiting for the professor at his home and office. Though, I also took liberty to have more uniforms looking for him on the streets of Miami."

Before Horatio could say anything, the young woman behind Frank stepped outside onto the stoop. She glanced at Frank for a moment before turning her attention to Horatio and Calleigh. She wore a white blouse with a frilly necktie, a black pencil skirt that stopped just above her knee, and stylish black pumps that put her at the height of his chin.

"Can you tell me what is going on?" She asked with her gaze on Calleigh. "What happened to Jeanne?"

"Let's go back into the house Miss Percival." Frank turned away from Horatio and stepped towards the young woman. He held open the door and gestured for her to come inside. Horatio saw her give the detective an uncertain look before she did what she was told. "We will continue speaking inside."

Horatio followed Miss Percival inside the house, noticing that she looked behind her apprehensively as Calleigh shut the door. He noticed that they had entered into a living room that was surprisingly well furnished with a white settee and two matching chairs that faced a black television set. A coffee table stood close to the sofa with an assortment of magazines arranged neatly across the top, and a few binders and books piled unceremoniously in the middle.

The young woman led them to the settee and sat down, her long fingers playing nervously with her hair. She glanced around at them all for a moment before leaping to her feet. Calleigh pulled one of the armchairs closer to the sofa as Frank went into the kitchen for another chair.

"I should go and help Jennifer," she said quickly looking towards the kitchen in such a way that told Horatio that she didn't want to be with them alone. "She is getting coffee and..."

A heavyset woman in her twenties appeared around the corner with a tray of muffins and mugs, setting the tray down she disappeared back into the kitchen and returned a moment later with another tray that had a teapot and a tall mug filled with what smelled like hot chocolate. She set this tray down and picked up the mug of hot chocolate, handing it to her friend before plopping herself down beside her.

"It's going to be okay, Adela," the woman said gently. "These people are going to help us find Jeanne." She leaned forward and held out her hand to Calleigh. "I am Jennifer. I am currently a part time crime buff that regularly haunts the wonderful community of websleuths, and full time student at the University of Florida." She released Calleigh's hand and held it out to shake Horatio's. Her handshake was firm and full of confidence, but was quick as Frank returned with one of the kitchen chairs. "I am sorry that we don't have enough space for more people. We were to go out and get more furniture, but as slaves to education, we didn't have time."

Horatio smiled at this and noticed that Frank chortled. Calleigh picked up a magazine and thumbed through it as Adela took another sip of her hot chocolate and began to relax.

"What are you studying?" Horatio asked Adela kindly. He noticed at once that the young woman tensed at the question. "I only ask because I notice that there are a few history magazines and a large book on English mediaeval literature sitting on the table here."

"Oh, those are mine," Adela said leaning forward and grabbing for the book on mediaeval literature. "Jeanne and I are classmates in the same year. We became friends not too long after our first class in our first year." She looked over at Jennifer but lowered her gaze. "We got into an argument recently and things became tense between us. I... I was planning on moving out in April."

"And what did the two of you argue about?" Frank asked as Calleigh excused herself with an apologetic look. She had her CSI kit in her hand and soon disappeared into the kitchen. Adela watched with a strange expression on her face. "Miss Percival, please answer the question."

Adela returned her attention back to Frank. "It was quite stupid actually. It was about one of our professors. I was going to meet up with him in his office and Jeanne lost it."

"And this professor, what was their name?" Frank asked, pulling out his notebook and flipping to a new page.

"It was Phillip Bradley," Adela whispered with tears in her eyes. "She told me that he was a bad man. That he... that he did horrible things to her, and that she wouldn't allow me to become a victim. I told her that she was lying and that an esteemed professor like him wouldn't do something like that..." Adela's voice began to shake and tears appeared in her green eyes. "A few days after our big fight those letters began to show up at the house."

"Did you read these letters?" Frank asked after giving a significant look in Horatio's direction.

Adela nodded her head. "I read one letter. It was a few weeks after we argued. I was home alone and found an envelope addressed to Jeanne on our doormat while I was getting ready to go out." She moved her hand to her hair but jerked it away before she could tug at a red curl. "What I read was disgusting. I confronted Jeanne about it when she got home but she only snapped at me. I told her..." Adela stopped talking as tears began falling from her eyes. "I told her that it would only be a matter of time before the coordinator found out about this affair and kick her out of school." She hid her face in her hands and cried out. "I told her that she deserved it."

* * *

Horatio found Calleigh in a bedroom that had been painted a beautiful shade of light blue. There was a bookshelf in one corner of the room that was crowded with books that were organised with authors in alphabetical order. A nightstand stood on the other side of the twin bed, and had a small lamp that looked as though it were about to fall off it. The bed was neatly made with what appeared to be a handmade quilt that added a splash of colour to the room. The walls were adorned with posters that depicted portraits or sketches of historical figures or events that took place in the past.

Calleigh was on the other side of the room, crouching over pieces of clothing that had been strewn across the floor. Horatio watched as she picked up a black dress with gloved hands, turning it over so she could see it better. He frowned when he noticed the tears and holes.

"Better bag and tag that," he said when he approached her. "It might be evidence of some sort of assault."

"A dress just doesn't get ripped on its own," she said testily. She took the large paper bag that Horatio held out for her and carefully placed the dress inside. She looked up and nodded towards the white vanity on the other side of the room. "This is our missing girl's room."

Horatio looked around the room in an attempt to get to know Jeanne Knowles. The vanity's mirror had pictures taped to it, and he moved closer to view them. He saw a young woman with a heart shaped face, hazel eyes that seemed to peer out of the photographs with the same thoughtful expression, and light brown hair that appeared thick and bushy. One photograph in particular stood out to him, and he leaned in closer to get a better look. Jeanne Knowles stood with a young man that had his arm linked with hers; both were smiling and appeared content. They were standing in front of the gates leading to a magnificent castle that rose high above them.

Horatio turned to Calleigh. "Jeanne's roommates didn't mention a boyfriend."

"Perhaps there wasn't one," said Calleigh distractedly. She was busy writing down the contents of a clear plastic bag on a label that was used to seal evidence. Horatio could see a pair of tan coloured pantyhose within the bag and knew at once that the DNA analyst wouldn't be happy to see the nylon. She looked up for a brief moment, her eyes meeting his. "If there was a man, I think that only those closest to her would know about it. Our girl doesn't seem the type to talk about her personal life that much."

Horatio moved away from the vanity and looked around the room instead. "She really liked her history. She seems to have collected all these posters..."

"She was passionate about history," a voice from behind Horatio said. He spun around and found himself face to face with Adela. She took in a deep breath as she took in the bedroom before shifting her attention back to Horatio. He noticed that her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and knew that she blamed herself for what happened to her friend. "She was very interested in French mediaeval history, but was very keen on all areas of the subject. She could tell you anything from the Frankish invasions to the pioneers of America."

Horatio was about to say something when Adela pointed towards a poster that was hung over Jeanne's desk. "That is a battle scene between the crusaders and the Cathars of France. She was always fascinated by European war history, and I suppose that the Albigensian crusade held some sort of appeal to her. Jeanne found out more about that crusade during her trip to France last summer."

Horatio looked towards the vanity that had the pictures tacked up, and carefully removed the one photograph from the mirror. "She went to France? Did she tell you who this man was?"

Adela looked at the picture sadly. Tears filled her eyes again and Horatio waited while she composed herself before showing her the photograph again. "She talked about nothing else for months. That is the Château de Foix and the man she is standing with is a French historian that specialises in the history of that period. She said the name but due to being so worried about academics, I can't remember it. I am sure you can find his name somewhere in her work."

"What was she working on?"

"We have to write a paper about something regarding the mediaeval period. Jeanne chose to write about the Albigensian crusade."

Horatio nodded distractedly. He moved away from Adela and started towards Jeanne's desk.

"You won't find the paper in there," Adela said suddenly. "She took her work with her today. She told Elizabeth that she was going to the school. She took her school bag with her." She stopped talking so suddenly that Horatio looked around at her. A look of realisation suddenly dawned on her face, and she pointed to the desk. "She began typing up her paper a few weeks ago when she had written her rough draft. If she went to the school with her notes, there is a possibility that her USB is still in her desk."

Horatio's eyebrows rose at this, but he stepped towards the desk and pulled open the top drawer. He saw a small dark pink USB and picked it up with a gloved hand. He quickly placed it into a clear bag and labelled it before he placed it into his kit. There was a possibility that there were other files unrelated to schoolwork on that USB, and he made a mental note to drop it off at the computer forensics lab as soon as he got back.

Adela gasped as though another realisation had dawned on her, and she dashed back out of the room and disappeared down the hallway. Horatio saw Calleigh give him a puzzled look but said nothing because he soon heard the sound of running footsteps coming back down the hall, and soon the young woman had reappeared with a laptop and power cord held tight in her arms. He saw her briefly hesitate in the doorway with an uncertain look in her eyes, but she seemed to shake it off because a moment later she had entered the room and shoved the computer into his hands.

"This is Jeanne's," she said breathlessly as she stepped back towards the doorway. "She hardly takes it out to school because she is terrified that her computer will get stolen or will break."

Horatio was about to say something more when Frank Tripp appeared behind Adela. She squeaked out an apology and disappeared from sight. Horatio saw Frank's expression and knew at once what had happened.

"We found Phillip Bradley," Frank said sounding triumphant. "He was picked up on the street leading to his house with a freshly washed truck and a very beautiful butterfly pendant in his possession."

Horatio's interest was piqued at once. "Did they impound the vehicle...?"

"Yes, and before you ask me, they also took him in for questioning. He is currently waiting for us within an interrogation room."

"Allow him to wait some more," said Horatio with a derisive snort. "The more he sits, the more outrageous his story."


End file.
